Micronation
A micronation (sometimes called cybernation, fantasy country, model country, new country project, pseudonation, counternation, ephemeral state, online nation, and variants thereof) is an entity intended to replace, resemble, mock, or exist on equal footing with recognised independent states. Some micronations are created with serious intent, while others exist as a hobby or stunt. Advanced research shows, however, that a real micronation must be at least an empirical tribe or community, or it simply isn't a micronation. The term micronation, which literally means "small nation", is a neologism originating in the 1990s to describe the many thousands of small unrecognised state-like entities that have mostly arisen since that time. It is believed that the term was invented by Robert Ben Madison. The term has since also come to be used retrospectively to refer to earlier unrecognised entities, some of which date to as far back as the 19th century. Supporters of micronations use the term "macronation" for any real sovereign nation-state. Micronations should not be confused with legitimately recognised, but geographically tiny nations such as Fiji, Monaco, and San Marino, for which the term microstate is more accurate and descriptive. What is a micronation? Micronations generally have a number of common features: # Micronations may have a form and structure similar to established sovereign states, including territorial claims, government institutions, official symbols and citizens. # Micronations are often quite small, in both their claimed territory and claimed populations — although there are some exceptions to this rule. # Micronations may issue formal instruments such as postage stamps, coins, banknotes and passports, and confer honors and titles of nobility. A criterion which distinguishes micronations from imaginary countries, eco-villages, campuses, tribes, clans, sects, and residential community associations, is that these latter entities do not usually seek to be recognized as sovereign. The Montevideo Convention was one attempt to create a legal definition distinguishing between states and non-states. Some micronations meet this definition, while some do not. Some micronations have rejected the Montevideo Convention altogether. Small, generally recognised states such as Fiji, Monaco and San Marino are sometimes referred to by some as micronations; however, these countries are more properly referred to as microstates. The academic study of micronations and microstates is termed micropatrology, and the hobby of establishing and operating micronations is known as micronationalism. Evolution of micronationalism The 19th century saw the rise to prominence of the nation-state concept, and the earliest recognizable micronations can be dated to that period. Most were founded by eccentric adventurers or business speculators, and several were remarkably successful. These include the Cocos (Keeling) Islands, ruled by the Clunies-Ross family, and Sarawak, ruled by the "White Rajas" of the Brooke family; both were independent personal fiefdoms in all but name, and survived until well into the 20th century. Less successful were the Kingdom of Araucania and Patagonia (1860-1862) in southern Chile and Argentina, and the Kingdom of Sedang (1888-1890) in French Indochina. The oldest extant micronation to arise in modern times is the Kingdom of Redonda, founded in 1865 in the Caribbean. It failed to establish itself as a "real" country, but has nonetheless managed to survive into the present day as a unique literary foundation with its own king and aristocracy — although it is not without its controversies; there are presently at least four competing claimants to the Redondan throne. M. C. Harman, owner of the UK island of Lundy in the early decades of the 20th century issued private coinage and postage stamps for local use. Although the island was ruled as a virtual fiefdom, its owner never claimed to be independent of the United Kingdom, so Lundy can at best be described as a precursor to later territorial micronations. The 1960s and 1970s saw a micronational renaissance, with the foundation of a number of territorial micronations. The first of these, Sealand, was founded in 1967 on an abandoned World War II gun platform in the North Sea, and has survived into the present day. Others were based on schemes requiring the construction of artificial islands, but only two are known to have risen above sea level. Rose Island was a 400 sq metre platform built in international waters off the Italian town of Rimini, in the Adriatic Sea in 1968. It is reported to have issued stamps, minted currency, and declared Esperanto to be its official language. Shortly after completion, however, it was destroyed by the Italian Navy. The Republic of Minerva was set up in 1972 as a libertarian new country project by Nevada businessman Michael Oliver. Oliver's group conducted dredging operations at the Minerva Reefs, a shoal located in the Pacific Ocean south of Fiji. They succeeded in creating a small artificial island, but their efforts at securing international recognition met with little success, and near-neighbour Tonga sent a military force to the area and annexed it. On April 1, 1977, bibliophile Richard Booth, declared the UK town of Hay-on-Wye an "independent republic" with himself as its king. The town has subsequently developed a healthy tourism industry based literary interests, and "King Richard" (whose sceptre consists of a recycled toilet plunger) continues to dole out Hay-on-Wye peerages and honours to anyone prepared to pay for them. The official website for Hay-on-Wye, however, admits that the declaration of independence, along with the later claim to have annexed the United States and renamed it the "US of Hay" were publicity stunts. http://www.richardbooth.demon.co.uk/ Micronational activities were disproportionately common throughout Australia in the final three decades of the 20th century. The Hutt River Province Principality started the ball rolling in 1970, when Prince Leonard (born Leonard George Casley) declared his farming property independent after a dispute over wheat quotas. 1976 witnessed the creation of the Province of Bumbunga on a rural property near Snowtown, South Australia, by an eccentric British monarchist named Alex Brackstone, and a dispute over flood damage to farm properties led to the creation of the Independent State of Rainbow Creek in northeastern Victoria (Australia) by Tom Barnes in 1979. In New South Wales, a political protest by a group of Sydney teenagers led to the 1981 creation of the Empire of Atlantium, and a mortgage foreclosure dispute led George and Stephanie Muirhead of Rockhampton, Queensland to secede as the Principality of Marlborough in 1993. Yet another Australian secessionist state came into existence on 1 May 2003, when Peter Gillies declared the independence of his 66 hectare northern New South Wales farm as the Principality of United Oceania after an unresolved year-long dispute with Port Stephens Council over Gillies' plans to construct a private residence on the property. Micronational hobbyists received a significant boost in the mid 1990s when popularization of the Internet gave them the ability to promote their activities to a global audience. As a result the number of online and fantasy micronations expanded dramatically. The majority were based in English-speaking countries, however a significant minority arose elsewhere in Portuguese-speaking countries as well. Categories of micronations In the present day, eight main types of micronations are prevalent: # Social, economic, or political simulations. # Historical simulations. # Exercises in personal entertainment or self-aggrandizement. # Exercises in fantasy, creative fiction or artistic expression. # Vehicles for the promotion of an agenda. # Entities created for fraudulent purposes. # Historical anomalies and aspirant states. # Fifth World nations. Social, economic or political simulations Micronations of the first type tend to be fairly serious in outlook, involve sometimes significant numbers of relatively mature participants, and often engage in highly sophisticated, structured activities that emulate the operations of real-world nations. Two good examples of these includes: * Talossa, a two-decade old political simulation with its own invented language. It was started by Ben Madison as the Kingdom of Talossa, but today exists today is actually the name of three micronations — two called the Kingdom of Talossa (the Madison and Woolley kingdoms), and one called the Republic of Talossa. * Gemnoviag, a 7 year old Micronation also with it's own language. It was established by Jaden Rosencrans as the Gemeleze Kingdom, but is now the Republic of Gemnoviag, a micronation based by Post Falls, Idaho. The Gemeleze Republic now considers itself to be a full independant nation. Historical simulations These micronations also tend to be fairly serious, and involve significant numbers of people interested in recreating the past, especially the Roman or Medieval past, and living it in a vicarious way. One good example of these includes: * Nova Roma (Micronation), not to be confused with the historical Nova Roma, is a group with a worldwide membership of over 1000 that has minted its own coins, and which engages in real life Roman-themed re-enactmnents. Exercises in personal entertainment or self-aggrandizement With literally thousands in existence, micronations of this type are by far the most common. They are ephemeral, and tend to be Internet-based, rarely surviving more than a few months, although there are notable exceptions. They generally involve a handful of people, and are concerned primarily with arrogating to their founders the outward symbols of statehood. The use of grand-sounding titles, awards, honours, and heraldic symbols derived from European feudal traditions, and the conduct of "wars" with other micronations, are common manifestations of their activities. Examples include: * The Aerican Empire, a Monty Pythonesque micronation founded in 1987 and known for its tongue-in-cheek interplanetary land claims, smiley-faced flag and a range of national holidays that includes "Topin Wagglegammon" amongst others. * Holy Empire of Réunion, a Brazil-based micronation. * Republic of Molossia, a Nevada desert-based micronation. * Kingdom of Zarahemla, a kingdom in exile awaiting the advance of technology to reclaim homeland in space. * The Duchy of Bohemia, which operates as a micronation and government in exile within the borders of the USA, claiming succession to the monarchy of the former kingdom of Bohemia following the abdication of the last of the Holy Roman Emperors. * Satirocity, a new micronation founded in 2005 by a ten year old Prince Jeffrey II outside of Philadelphia. Exercises in fantasy, creative fiction or artistic expression Micronations of this type include stand-alone artistic projects, deliberate exercises in creative online and offline fiction, artistamp creations, and even popular movies. Examples include: * Lizbekistan, a popular Internet-based project created by Australian artist Liz Stirling. * Upper Yafa, one of an extraordinarily diverse and entertaining array of micronations invented by prolific New Zealand-based artistamp producer Bruce Henderson since the early 1970s. * The Republic of Howland, Baker and Jarvis, a highly developed web-based alternative reality project. * Neue Slowenische Kunst (aka NSK State), a nation created by a number of Slovene artists, among them the Laibach band. * Molvania, a nation that started as a parody of a tourist guide of a fictitious Eastern European untouched by modern dentisty. * Ladonia, a nation founded by the Swedish artist and historian Lars Vilks. Ladonia claims a piece of land at a peninsula in southern Sweden as its territory. Vehicles for the promotion of an agenda These types of micronations are typically associated with a political or social reform agenda. Some are maintained as media and public relations exercises, and examples of this type include: * The "global state" of Waveland, established on the UK island of Rockall by Greenpeace protesters in 1997. * The Conch Republic, which began in 1982 as a tongue-in-cheek economic protest by residents and business owners in the Florida Keys. * The Freie Republik Wendland, founded 1980 as part of a campaign to prevent the construction of a nuclear waste disposal facility in Gorleben, northern Germany. Entities created for fraudulent purposes Given that most people are inculcated with an unquestioning respect and obedience for governments and their symbols from an early age, it is probably not surprising that certain unscrupulous individuals have sought to derive personal financial benefit from the gullible by establishing micronational entities that have a fraudulent intent. The best known of these are: * The Dominion of Melchizedek, created in 1986 by a father-and-son team of confidence tricksters named Evan David Pedley and Ben David Pedley (the latter also known as David Korem) to sell fraudulent banking licenses. Melchizedek, which is supposedly an "ecclesiastical constitutional sovereignty", claims a number of territories, and a large slab of Antarctica. According to John Shockey, former special assistant, U.S. Comptroller of the Currency, in an address to the 4th International Financial Fraud Convention in London, May 27, 1999: "The Dominion of Melchizedek is a fraud, a major fraud, and not a legitimate sovereign entity. Persons associated with the Dominion of Melchizedek have been indicted and convicted of a variety of crimes." * The Kingdom of EnenKio, which claims Wake Atoll in the Marshall Islands, has been deemed a scam for selling passports and diplomatic papers by the governments of the Marshall Islands and of the United States. Historical anomalies and aspirant states A small number of micronations are founded with genuine aspirations to be sovereign states. Many are based on historical anomalies or eccentric interpretations of law, and tend to be easily confused with established states. This category includes: * Seborga, an historic principality located in the Italian region of Liguria, which traces its history back at least 1,000 years. * Beaver Island in Lake Michigan was an unrecognized Mormon kingdom from 1848 to 1856, until its leader, James Strang, was assassinated by disgruntled followers. * The Republic of Indian Stream, established in 1832 on territory claimed by both the US and Canada. * The Hutt River Province Principality, a farm in Western Australia which claims to have seceded from Australia, to become an independent principality with a worldwide population of 13,000. * The Principality of Sealand, a "sovereign Principality" located on a WWII-era anti-aircraft platform in the North Sea in what were international waters at the time of its foundation. These waters are now subject to claims by both Sealand and the United Kingdom. Sealand is home to HavenCo, a colocation site that advertises that customer data will be secure "against any legal action." * Transnational Republic, a global nation counting several thousand citizens. These types of micronations are usually located in small (usually disputed) territorial enclaves, generate limited economic activity founded on tourism, philatelic and numismatic sales, and are at best tolerated or at worst ignored by other nations. Fifth World nations These nations are of recent formation. Fifth World nations claim to fill the great chasm between Fourth World nations and the nations of the micronational community, the latter sometimes referred collectively by micronationalists as Sixth and Seventh Worlds. Fifth World nations have accepted new legal concepts radically different from the Roman law standard, such as the Cesidian law legal concept called jus cerebri electronici. Fifth World nations have also developed other original micronational concepts, such as Bucksfanian astrology, the Cesidian calendar, the Indigo race concept, and the Tallinian Linguistic Classification System. An example of a Fifth World nation: * The UMMOA, a physical and virtual state which runs its own Internet, the Cesidian Root. It was has actually achieved some de jure recognition through the International States Parliament for Safety and Peace, an intergovernmental organisation of states. The Boodlesmythe-Tallini System of Classification In an attempt to predict the future potential of micronations, entities that in many cases are born and die within the same year, micronational researchers have, over time, devised various systems of classification. The most ingenious of these systems is the Boodlesmythe-Tallini System. Quantitative Classification (Boodlesmythe) * “Online” versus “Bricks and Mortar” — an “Online” micronation exists solely in the server space it occupies; whereas a “Bricks and Mortar” micronation might have an online presence, but would continue to exist if the server hosting their space ceased to exist. * “Tiny” versus “Small” versus “Sizeable” — a “Tiny” micronation would have from 1-10 members/citizens; a “Small” micronation would have from 11-50 members/citizens; and a “Sizeable” micronation would have 51 or more members/citizens. * “Community” versus “Statehood” — a “Community” micronation exists as a group of people with a shared set of goals or aims; whereas a “Statehood” micronation seeks to form a functional government and acquire sovereign territory. Qualitative Classification (Tallini) * 7th World — Under the best of circumstances: a flaky micronation. Under the worst: a total joke. * 6th World — Under the best of circumstances: a serious micronation with potential, but it will need an attractive culture to florish. Under the worst: a sizeable community, more than a nation. * 5th World — Under the best of circumstances: serious competition for Sealand. Under the worst: a small community with great potential if it develops an attractive culture, and a committed few. The Whole Picture (Boodlesmythe-Tallini) # Online, Tiny, Community — 7th World # Online, Tiny, Statehood — 7th World # Online, Small, Community — 7th World # Online, Small, Statehood — 7th World # Online, Sizeable, Community — 6th World # Online, Sizeable, Statehood — 6th World # Bricks and Mortar, Tiny, Community — 6th World # Bricks and Mortar, Tiny, Statehood — 6th World # Bricks and Mortar, Small, Community — 5th World # Bricks and Mortar, Small, Statehood — 5th World # Bricks and Mortar, Sizeable, Community — 5th World # Bricks and Mortar, Sizeable, Statehood — 5th World Academic attention Despite its prevalence there has been only limited academic attention paid to the micronation phenomenon; such attention that has been given has for the most part been concerned with the apparently anomalous legal situations affecting such entities as Sealand and the Hutt River Province Principality, or in the creation of role-playing entities for instructional purposes. In August 2003 a Summit of Micronations took place in Helsinki at Finlandia Hall, the site of the Conference for Security and Co-operation in Europe (CSCE). The summit was attended by delegations such as the Principality of Sealand, NSK, Ladonia, the Transnational Republic, and by scholars from various academic institutions. In August 2004, the Reg Vardy Gallery at the University of Sunderland (UK) announced the impending launch of an exhibition on the subject of group identity and symbolism, with specific reference to historic micronations. The exhibition — which ran from November 7 through December 17 — focused on numismatic, philatelic and vexillological artifacts, as well as other symbols and instruments created and used by a number of micronations from the 1950s through to the present day. Related topics * Christiania — a partially self-governing neighborhood in the city of Copenhagen, Denmark * Hartola a small Finnish town with anomalous claim to being a royal parish of the Swedish monarchy. * Joshua A. Norton, San Francisco resident who proclaimed himself "Emperor of the United States" * Partenia, a cyber-diocese but with a real bishop * Seasteading — a self-sufficient floating platform External links Micronations et al * Kingdom of Talossa (Madison Kingdom) * Kingdom of Talossa (Woolley Kingdom) * Republic of Talossa * Nova Roma * The Aerican Empire * The Duchy of Bohemia * Ohio Empire * Upper Yafa * NSK Citizens Congress * Molvania * Ladonia * Waveland * Democratic Duchy of Francisville * Grand Duchy of Flandrensis * Freie Republik Wendland * Melchizedek report * Warning about so-called "Kingdom of EnenKio" * Principality of New Utopia * Beaver Island history * Sealand * Impero * Wirtland Other Relevant Sites * Footnotes to History — Comprehensive list of failed secessionist states, alternative governments and other historical oddities. * The Imperial Collection — Comprehensive catalogue of stamps, coins and banknotes issued by secessionist states. * North American Araucanian Royalist Society * Micronational Professional Registry — Fifth World and Micronational community resource * Web Directory of micronations * Fifth World Interstate — The Portal of the Fifth World * Seasteading — A proprietary floating platform technology that could potentially form the basis of extraterritorial sovereign entities. * J.S.G. Boggs's site — the money artist. * A New Land - Thoughts and ideas on creating a real micronation. References * E. S. Strauss: How to start your own country ISBN 0915179016, ISBN 1893626156 * It's Good to Be King Wired 8.03 March 2000 * Welcome to Sealand. Now Bugger Off. Wired 8.07 July 2000 * How to Start Your Own Country * How to Start Your Own Country in Four Easy Steps * Diplomatically-challenged coins * The Fifth World * The Fifth World from A to Z * The Indago Race * The XIV Commandments Category:Micronations Category:Fifth World